Tom Cole (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2003. His current term ends on January 3, 2025.
Cole (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2024 election.
At the start of the 116th Congress, Cole was a Deputy Whip for the House Republican Conference, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Rules, and a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.
He has held multiple leadership positions within electoral organizations of the Republican Party. He was Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) from 2006 to 2008 and Executive Director of the NRCC from 1990 to 1992. From 1998 to 2000 he was Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee.
Cole is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and one of four registered Native Americans in Congress as of 2019.
Cole was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Grinell College in Iowa for his undergraduate degree, earned a master's degree from Yale University and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. While studying for his doctorate at the University of Oklahoma, Cole was a staffer for former U.S. Rep. Marvin Mickey. After graduation, he became chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party in 1985. In 1988, he served as a member of the state senate. Prior to his congressional career, Cole served as a member of the Oklahoma State Senate from 1988 to 1991. He then served as Oklahoma Secretary of State from 1995 to 1999.
